Stone Woman

Logline

A honeymooner in Belize becomes a reluctant adventurer when an anti-American police chief frames her husband for murder, and the only one on her side is the silent ghost of an ancient Mayan woman.

Genre

Adventure, Paranormal, Thriller

Synopsis

Night. A Belizean jungle.  Howler monkeys bay a concert. Honeymooners Nicole and Michael argue as they step into the clearing beside a Mayan temple. Michael pleads with Nicole to climb the temple. Nicole refuses.

Michael climbs without Nicole but returns to find her on the ground looking up at a woman dressed in strange, glowing garments.

At the hotel Nicole claims the woman is a ghost. Michael says she is a local woman playing a prank on a gullible tourist. The two argue. All is forgiven when Michael apologizes and gives Nicole an ancient necklace he bought from a vendor. But as the young couple dress for the day Chief Valente and eight policemen swarm the hotel to arrest Michael for murder. They rough Michael up, handcuff him, and march him off to jail.

Nicole looks for someone to get Michael released, until she is informed that he was stabbed and moved to a hospital. She rushes to visit him and is deserted in the jungle and has many adventures as she tries to find her way back to civilization. All while haunted by the ghost from the temple, the Stone Woman.

Nicole’s worst moment occurs on an airplane with Michael. The two put on parachutes, intending to jump to escape the drug runners. But as Nicole jumps Michael is shot. Nicole is forced to watch the plane, with her husband still on it, crash and burn.

She returns home a grieving widow. But she cannot mourn her husband in peace because the Stone Woman will not leave her alone and follows her to Seattle from Belize.

Nicole has the epiphany that the ghost haunts the necklace, not her. When she returns to Belize she runs into a reporter who tells her that Chief Valente is under investigation by the CIA for being the leader of a group of drug runners. She decides that since he is responsible for Michael’s death she will find the evidence to put him behind bars.

Nicole spies on Chief Valente. He catches her and locks her in a deserted jail, where he applies his own brand of torture. CIA agents break Nicole out of the jail and Chief Valente and his goons give chase. The agents and Nicole escape through a cave and over a waterfall.

Nicole leads Chief Valente into a CIA trap at the temple, ending his reign as top drug runner. She then buries the necklace and frees herself from the Stone Woman ghost.

As a reporter interviews Nicole about her experiences, the CIA agents arrive and tell Nicole that they have recruited her. Nicole turns down the offer. She knows what she wants to do with her life, and has the courage to do it.

Screenplay adapted into Stone Woman novel.